The advent of COVID-19 brought about various amended requirements vis-à-vis Canadian immigration processing. Among the many changes were allowances for delayed biometrics collection or provision of medical examination results. This was based in large part on the inability to access Visa Application Centres (VACs) or doctors’ offices.
As the world, and some of the above-noted relevant offices involved in the ‘logistics’ of immigration processing, gradually begin to reopen, these provisions are evolving, and readers should ensure that they keep abreast of the ever-changing landscape. Unfortunately, the reopening results in a bit of a hodge-podge of updates to the procedures involved in moving immigration matters forward.
For instance, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had been issuing Biometric Instruction Letters (BILs) with an allowance for 90 days to provide results (and automatic extensions where VACs remained closed). IRCC now issues 30 day BILs, as it did pre-COVID, and requires applicants to make a case for extension if local VACs (or other relevant collection offices) remain closed. Information in this regard can be found here.
On a separate note, the Canadian visa offices in India have started advising that panel physicians (doctors approved for conducing Canadian immigration medical exams) will now again be conducting upfront medical exams for immigration matters. Information like this is often distributed by the visa posts, rather than simply ‘globally’ posted on the IRCC web site. As such, applicants need to research the situation in specific parts of the world.
These are just a few examples of some of the emerging/re-emerging immigration processing trends/procedures, so people accessing the Canadian immigration system should ensure that they bring themselves up-to-date on any such particular issue at a particular office, or should seek appropriate counsel, lest frustration (or worse) ensue.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.